Milinda Posted June 6, 2021 Share Posted June 6, 2021 Hi! I’m new to AD and so far I love it! But one thing I am looking for, that I get in Adobe, is the ability to do my vector drawings in outline mode, or single line type. I create a lot of SVG files for my customers who use cutting machines, like Cricut. Many of them want drawing line type files. These allow them to draw, engrave or foil the project. Versus cutting. Is this doable in Affinity Designer? And if so, how? Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff Dan C Posted June 9, 2021 Staff Share Posted June 9, 2021 Hi @Milinda, Welcome to the Affinity Forums and my apologies for the delayed response here! I can confirm it's possible to view your document within Affinity in an 'Outline Mode', however this is purely for display only and cannot be exported in this manner. To change to this view, open the Navigator Studio, then tap the arrows left/right to change the view mode. On 6/6/2021 at 9:08 PM, Milinda said: Many of them want drawing line type files Unfortunately I'm not sure what you mean by this - are you referring to a specific file format (such as SVG or EPS), or something else? Many thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milinda Posted June 10, 2021 Author Share Posted June 10, 2021 Hi Dan. Thank you for your reply. In certain cutting machines (like Cricut) or engraving machines (like glow forge) there are project types for drawing or engraving. These need to have their svg files contain what adobe calls single line type. Normally, the line’s stroke is still filled, so when you switch the usage type in a program like Cricut’s Design Space, it will hollow out the interior of the line. They way i currently have to get around this is i either have to cut each line open and remove one side of it. I use Adobe Illustrator on the desktop for this. AI for the iPad is getting better at allowing me to draw out my trace files in outline mode; making it easier for me to create the files, but I can’t export them to the type of svg file that the Cricut software likes. So i still have to take my file to the desktop to save it, But i am still looking for one app that will allow me to do both raster and vector work (which is why i got excited when i found AD esp since i go right from AD to Cricut’s Design Space app) but in that vector design tool … on the iPad, i still need to be able to create these single line type files. When i saw that outline view i got a little excited but i can’t seem to export that like. For me right now, this is the missing piece. Thanks for listening! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff Dan C Posted June 10, 2021 Staff Share Posted June 10, 2021 No problem at all, thanks for confirming that for me! Firstly I recommend checking out the following FAQ, as this can hopefully help you to export more Cricut friendly files - However it sounds as though you need to use the Expand Stroke option, and then use a Knife tool (or similar) to cut out certain segments of curve - unfortunately as you've found Affinity Designer doesn't currently support this tool, my apologies. I'll move this thread to the Feedback section of our forums, so our devs can see and consider adding this feature in a future update Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milinda Posted June 16, 2021 Author Share Posted June 16, 2021 Hi! So I tried my line draw exercise again - and it worked the way I wanted it to. I made sure my stroke was very thin and that I had no fill. Just wanted to circle back. I know you were losing sleep over that🤪! Attached is my latest, very fast, exercise. Dan C 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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